STL: Satisfied Tastebud Living

Bit of a stretch with that acronym, you think? Think again. While sprinting through the NAFSA: Association for International Educators conference with 8,199 of my fellow colleagues, I fell into several delicious St. Louis locations.

A disclaimer: I had a bit of a headstart, having been to St. Louis before. I knew all about the secrets of gooey butter cake from Park Avenue Coffee, crunchy and fabulous toasted ravioli, Imo’s Provel cheese pizza, and Ted Drewe’s Frozen Custard. A true St. Louis experience would be truly lacking if you did not check these off of your To Eat list.

This time, with a packed conference schedule, my touring looked a lot like Business Barbie gone mad. Luckily we were staying right next to the Arch, so we filled our eyes with the iconic structure every day – in thunderstorms and sunshine. Our conference took place at the America’s Center smack in the middle of downtown STL, so we were well placed to explore .. I mean, work.

Bella’s FroYo

Robust Wine Bar

Rooster

Food & Drink:
* Pi @ 610 Washington Avenue (Mercantile Exchange): Roasted veggie bruschetta, along with the refreshing Pi Squared Cocktail: basil, vodka, something sweet.
* Rooster @ 1104 Locust Street: s’more sweet crepe? Um, yes. Apparently also a grand breakfast place, but I was focused on the crepe situation.
* Local Harvest @ 9th & Locust in the Old Post Office: A multitude of sandwiches, salads and some smoothies. Although I was crushed the Winter BLT was no longer available, the Mediterranean sandwich + green salad was excellent.
* Renaissance Hotel @ 800 Washington Avenue: again, while conferencing there is a lot of speed eating / dating / networking / meeting. This was a nearby, healthy, delicious option: Chicken Cobb salad. (unhealthy side note, they totally have gooey butter cake + Ted Drewes custard in ONE).
* Robust Wine Bar @ 635 Washington Avenue: Two words / “wine flight.” Try three wines at once, and stack up the appetizer plates. I tried Bright Whites, and we dined on cheese, olives, figs, crab cakes … it was positively decadent. No wonder it was voted Best of St. Louis 2012.
* Bella’s Frozen Yogurt Cafe @ 1021 Washington Avenue: Imagine my surprise when we discovered such a thing as froyo happy hour .. 50% off on Wednesday afternoons! Sea salt caramel pretzel was a win in my book.

Other lovely locations:

* Left Bank Books @ 321 N. 10th Street: As if my bag wasn’t heavy enough already, I picked up a used copy of Geography of Bliss, $6! Note to self: driving to conferences is bad for your suitcase / car / back.

Was also charmed by Windows on Washington (rustic and open), the Old Post Office (gorgeous venue), Four Seasons roof deck (holy posh), and McGurk’s Irish pub (outdoor patio perfection). Additional thumbs up to the Becky Thatcher Riverboat where we had breakfast, thanks to one of our British partners.

….. just think, next year NAFSA will be in San Diego. I’ll need at least 3 posts for that one.

City Sprint: Chicago

Back to the Windy City, a favorite only a train ride away. Forget the hideous train mates I had on the way up, because there was Chicago waiting for me after a long morning. With several days dedicated to an international education conference, I hopped in and out of restaurants with colleagues and made a splash with friends on the weekend. Bites, beds and other fun below.

BITES:

* Quartino’s – 626 N State Street – Italian – small plates. Shockingly affordable, quite large and home to some outrageously quick service. Proscuitto-wrapped dates, veal meatballs, beet salad and a fresh caprese salad were a perfect way to end the day.
* Grand Lux Cafe -  600 N Michigan Avenue – Americana – a chain restaurant and a gigantic venue. Our waiter was speaking so fast that I suspect there may be a drug problem in the kitchen, but my entree of chicken and gnocchi was quite good. So, rock on!
* French Market – 131 North Clinton – perfect for lunch upon Holly’s arrival at nearby Union Station. We settled for crepes – mine was some crazy Brie, fig, walnut, spinach situation. Sweeter than I expected, but divine. Space to sit and rest your bones after shopping for lunch, dinner or just a weekly batch of produce. Three cheers for markets!
* Giordano’s – (multiple locations) Let the great pizza debate begin. Holly and Kelli had never had Chicago deep dish, so I took them to where I had my first pie. There is really no possible way to eat more than one piece of a stuffed pizza. We made an effort but failed among all the vegetables and cheese. Good place to fail, no?
* The Bongo Room – 1470 N. Milwaukee (multiple locations) – Really, how many times can I pay this place homage? BLT Benedict this time, perfection. Wicker Park location remains my favorite. This is also my #1 breakfast + dessert combination place. See: Chocolate French Toast Tower for dessert.
* Rodity’s - 222 S. Halsted (Greektown) – delicious Greek, and a really cranky waiter. He actually removed silverware from our hands. We tried flaming saganaki cheese, lit on fire just inches from our startled faces. The lamb was recommended tenfold on Yelp reviews, so I went for it. It was good, but I wouldn’t yelp about it!
* Yolk – 1120 S. Michigan Avenue (multiple locations) – While the rest of Chicago chugged along on an 8K run along Michigan Avenue, we headed out for our last meal in town, and one of our favorites. My first time at Yolk (one of three locations) led me to a carnita egg sandwich which was a curious combination, but delicious. Useful for the long morning of transportation that followed.

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BEDS:

* Acme Hotel - 15 E. Ohio – What a funky and fun hotel. At the risk of giving away their entire decorating scheme, let’s just note that there are glow-in-the-dark items in the bathroom, closets outside of their confines, funky fixtures and a sweet chalkboard on the door, college dorm style.
* Silversmith Hotel & Suites - 10 S. Wabash – A quietly luxurious and totally affordable gig (courtesy of Hotels.com deals). Our double room was so spacious and well-appointed, and the hotel is really well located for all sorts of running around in and out of the Loop.

OTHER:

* Signature Lounge @ Hancock Tower – 875 N Michigan Avenue – One of my favorite, dramatic, places in the city to have a drink. It’s 96 floors above the city, and although there is sometimes a wait, it’s well worth it. You do have to cope with multiple tables of amateur paparazzi tourists that take 82 photos of the view, but still – worth it. This beats the Observation Deck because you don’t have an entry fee, and just pay for a drink!

* Thrifting .. the girls can debrief on this way more than I can, because I literally napped through the Goodwill expedition (1201 W. Washington). They had a good look through some of the Wicker Park shops, as well, although some of those – save a $3 basement sale – were a bit pricey.

See you soon, beautiful Chicago!

SoCal Foodie Delight

My first trip to California. Yes, really. I’m 29 and the furthest West I’ve been is Arizona. Well, no longer.

Flying to the West Coast in February had even more allure than I thought – namely because it was 30 degrees when I left my home in Illinois and it was almost 80 degrees when I landed in Orange County. What better way to fight the Midwestern winter than with sunshine?

–

What’s the best way to see a new city? To eat.

Sure, Hollywood Boulevard is important, but my stomach is always growling. Luckily, when you roll with a fellow foodie, your priorities are always the same. Here are some of the stops we made over the course of my brief weekend in SoCal. (all addresses are in LA unless otherwise noted)

* In & Out Burger – My first ever! Thanks to local assistance, I knew to ask for both burger + fries “animal style.” Next time will ask for Neopolitan shake.

* Mashti Malone’s ice cream – 1525 N. La Brea – So many wild flavors here .. I chose Rose Saffron

* Olocuilta – 3958 W. 6th – Homemade Salvadorean pupusas here, oddly enough – in Koreatown. The abuela in the back seriously know what she’s doing.

* Cafe Tropical – 2900 W. Sunset Blvd – guava and cheese empanada. Yeah, you heard me.

* @ an undisclosed location – street tacos! $1 a piece and right on the money.

* Lynda Sandwich – 15380 Beach Blvd, Westminster -  banh mi’s for the beach.

* Egg Heaven – 4358 E. 4th Street, Long Beach – outrageous breakfast. Do not miss the super browns loaded breakfast potatoes. I died.

* One of the many Farmer’s Markets for superior produce & snacks – my first brush with an ojo blanco (less acidic grapefruit) and the best oranges I’ve had since Spain.

In-N-Out Burger, animal style

Homemade breakfast

Cafe Tropical, LA

Rose saffron ice cream

Pupusas

How can you argue with a bright orange taco truck?

Street tacos, Los Angeles

Egg Heaven, Long Beach, CA

Other fun stuff
Skylight Books – 1818 N. Vermont Avenue
Griffith Park Observatory -2800 E Observatory Road
(check out their free public star parties!)
Watts Tower – 1761-5 E 107th Street
Dodgers Stadium – 1000 Elysian Park Avenue

Tasty wines
Babble wine (wins best label), Khroma (wins fancy label and cheap local red), Carpe Diem (stole my soul & that of NYTimes winos a few years ago).

Thank goodness for Los Angeles, and Natalie

Behind the Apron: Baked Oatmeal

Thanks to the Food tag on Pinterest, I’ve been cruising some gorgeous recipes of late. This one hit the spot. I’m a big fan of breakfast, and a staunch supporter of oatmeal. Usually I am wolfing it down in my office after a morning rec session and while reading my email (terrible habit, I know). Not today, my friends! Sunday morning, house smells delicious.

Here is the original post from Jellytoastblog, who adapted it from Spoon Fork Bacon. Three cheers for blog-sharing foodie love. You could do so many things with this recipe .. my notes in green, below.

Cranberry Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal (makes 8 servings)

Ingredients:

2 C rolled oats

¼ C flax seeds, ground (or flax seed meal)

1 tsp baking powder

3 tsp cinnamon * 2 tsp cinnamon + 1 tsp ginger

½ tsp salt

¼ C brown sugar * dark brown sugar

3 Tbs honey

2 C skim milk * 1/2 C milk, 1/2 C almond milk

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

¾ C fresh (or frozen) cranberries

1 large apple, diced
* 1/4 C chopped walnuts

1 Tbs brown sugar

Maple syrup for serving (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish or 8” square baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together oats, flax seeds, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and ¼ cup of brown sugar and set aside. In a second bowl, whisk together honey, milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a spoon, making sure all of the ingredients are evenly mixed. Fold in the cranberries and apples. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the top with 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar. Bake, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes or until oatmeal is golden brown and bubbling. Allow the oatmeal to cool for several minutes, drizzle with syrup and serve! * I don’t go for super sweet & originally turned up my nose at the maple syrup. Now I can say: USE IT. It’s the finishing touch.

A note on re-heating from previous blogger: add a splash of milk before microwaving or reheating in the oven.

A weekend in Galway

Greetings, Galway

The sea is good for the soul.

Taking an hour or more to walk into the city of Galway from the neighborhood of Salthill was like balm for my nerves. After a long week of meetings and a big presentation, I grabbed my Nikon and hit the beach. Forget the fact I was bundled up from head to toe with leggings under my jeans and a wool hat on my head. I was rewarded with a clear sky (rare in Ireland, as I learned) and took endless shots of sea, shore and pedestrians. With winter boots I trudged along through piles of seaweed and picked some seashells – one of nature’s sweetest souvenirs.

Walking into town over the raging River Corrib, I kept my map deep in my pocket and began to wander. Is there anything quite so nice as getting lost in a new place? Cobblestone streets, bright Christmas lights, hand painted Guinness Santa Claus advertisements and chalkboards shouting the day’s specials. I was hungry, happy and charmed all at once.

Ho, Ho, Have a Guinness

The St. Nicholas Market was in full swing by the time I spotted the church and a stream of people. Turning off the main shopping street, I ducked under a series of woolen mittens, socks and slippers and made small talk with the artist. From booth to table to stall to shack, a wide array of everything from vegetables to soap was on sale. My nose pointed me into the cheesemonger’s shop and who doesn’t like free samples?

I remember my host suggested falafel, and although I was extremely pleased with the cheap lunch (3 euro), I was head over heels for the donut man. An older gentleman who looked decidedly like the railway character in Polar Express, acknowledged my request for photos with an arched eyebrow. He leaned in and asked, “You’re not with the government now, are ye?” I said no and he laughed long and loud, and invited me to snap away.

 

 

 

For the record: best damn donut I’ve ever had.

I indulged my penchant for jewelry and met a young artist with an interesting story. The lovely Juliette of fretmajic fashions her Celtic wooden jewelry with leftover pieces from a musical instrument shop where she works part time. I was more than happy to pick up a pair of rose oak love knots for my mom, and circled back later to splurge on intricate bogwood earrings for myself.

The free museum, a wide open (and empty) tourist center where I booked my trip to the Cliffs of Moher, a bustling chocolate shop and another Christmas market in Eyre Square balanced my day. Shooting twinkling white lights and dedicated shoppers in the dark, I made my way into a pie shop for dinner, and decided to take the long way home back along the beach. Even this city girl needs some time with the ocean every now and then.